Cranston, former star of TV's "Breaking Bad" and "Malcolm in the Middle," made his Broadway debut in "All the Way." He previously starred in the stage drama when it ran last year at the American Repertory Theatre in Massachusetts.

The nearly three-hour play dramatizes Johnson's first year in office as he deals with the aftermath of the John F. Kennedy assassination and the growing civil rights movement.

Cranston is a Los Angeles native who got his early start on the stage in regional theaters around Southern California. In 2006, the actor appeared in a Geffen Playhouse production of Sam Shepard's "The God of Hell" that was directed by Jason Alexander.

Weeks before the Oscars were handed out Sunday, studios were already taking meetings with awards consultants for next year’s best picture contenders. What movies might we be hearing about again (and again ... and again) later this year? An early stab at a top 10, in alphabetical order:

When the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the Oscar nominations in January, the absence of any minority group nominees in the acting categories — for only the second time since 1998 — triggered a backlash of criticism and threats of protest.

In the wake of fan outrage that Joan Rivers was not included in the Oscars' annual "In Memoriam" segment honoring Hollywood figures who have died in the last year, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences issued a statement to The Times on Monday:

Last night's Oscars had its moments: Meryl Streep and Jennifer Lopez getting fired up by Patricia Arquette's acceptance speech. Common and John Legend getting everyone in the Dolby Theatre on their feet with their rousing performance of "Glory" from "Selma." And Lady Gaga making the hills...